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First test: Daytona 650

Published:
13 October 2004

Triumph’s bored-out Daytona 650 handles as well as it ever did, costs £1000 less than an R6 (and we’re getting a first ride on the new version of the Yamaha this Friday, October 22) and it has the real-world grunt to match its Japanese rivals.

The 650 is bored out from 599cc to 646cc – with a 3.2mm longer stroke. Kawasaki’s ZX-6R is a 636cc. The engine sounds immediately beefier the moment you thumb the starter.

Our full first test report is in MCN – out on Wednesday, October 20.

In it, we predict “The new 650 will be unbeatable in the right hands on winding country roads.”

We praise its “sublime handling – even at high speeds”,

We rave about its specially-developed Pirelli Diablos and its hot four-pot front brakes.